I know I promised this blog post with our bedroom design plans "soon," and well, it's been over a month. I've been about 90% done with the plans for the last 8 weeks or so, but have been at a standstill with the last 10%. If you didn't notice in my post about the living room design, I like to incorporate lots of vintage, found, and handmade items in a design if I can. This gives a space character and personality - much more so than all new items from big box stores. Don't get me wrong, I still use cheap IKEA curtains, picture frames from Target, and throw blankets from Home Goods, but mixing in unique pieces keeps a space from looking generic. And also, if you're on a budget, you can find awesome pieces on Craigslist, eBay, and in thrift stores that are unique and well-made for cheap! The downside is these unique and vintage pieces take a lot more hunting and patience. Many items are one of a kind, but finding the ONE that works in your space (the right color, shape, size, material, style, etc.) can be a challenge and take time.
All that to say, I've spent the last month or so hunting for the perfect vintage rug for our bedroom. If you remember back to my inspiration for this room, I was really drawn to natural textures, soft warmth, and vintage rugs, but I was having trouble landing on exactly what I wanted in that rug. Lots of the rugs I came across (my go-to sources are Etsy and eBay) were beautiful and warm, but classic oriental rugs tend to have a lot of red in them, which feels really bold and just isn't for me. So I spent weeks perusing newly listed rugs every night, trying to decide on exactly what I wanted, and trying to find a rug in the right size at the right price. After countless hours of staring at rug pictures, yesterday I FINALLY made a decision and pulled the trigger! With the rug on the way, the rest of the pieces of the design fell into place and it's about time I share the plans with you. This design plan includes all the major pieces, but you'll have to wait for some progress pictures or a room reveal for the accessories and artwork to really see the full look.
Per my inspiration, you'll notice brass details, a mixture of wood tones, an upholstered bed, and lots of light neutrals. Starting with the bed, I chose an upholstered bed (the color is "talc," which is like a creamy ivory/off white) for softness, and to contrast with the wood furniture. I love this one because the "wings" add a nice detail and some extra interest while still keeping it simple, classic, and clean. I like when nightstands aren't the same material as the bed, and as beautiful as wood beds are, paired with wood nightstands there'd be a heavy full wall of wood. Previously we had a (cheap) metal bed frame, but I never loved it, and when we moved to Texas our movers put the frame together upside down, effectively breaking it. Isn't moving the best?!
You might also notice that the vintage dresser and antique washstand (our nightstands) don't match. While in most cases I like matching nightstands (they can give balance to a space and emphasize the bed as the focal point), I found these two pieces years ago at a thrift store and on Craigslist, and the layout of our bedroom is a little odd and requires some creativity, which makes this pair perfect. The best wall for the bed in our room has one single window all the way in the right corner. No matter how you dress the window (in our case, blackout drapes), the wall is going to look lopsided. Trying to balance the sides and make everything even and symmetrical just isn't going to happen, so I'm going to visually balance the wall instead. To do this, we need to add some weight to the left side, hence the dresser on that side in contrast to the lighter, open washstand on the right. Putting artwork centered above the bed is also a no-go because it would skew too much visual weight to the right, so instead I'm stacking two frames above the dresser on the left to give some height to that side and balance out the height of the window. With all those different elements, we need to keep some things similar to give some continuity and harmony. The lamps will match and the wood tones of the "nightstands" are very similar, which keeps the look from getting too loud or busy (something that happens when there is a lot of "different" going on).
Some other elements contributing "quietness" to the space: ivory curtains similar in color to the bed, a vintage sleigh dresser painted white, and lots of textural white bedding (not pictured). Bedding can be an opportunity to change things up and do something interesting - somewhere to really make a statement since the bed is the focal point of the room - but I find that I crave a soft, quiet space in my bedroom. Crisp white bedding always feels clean, fresh, and light.
And finally, the rug. After lots of debating, I chose a faded neutral vintage piece. I wanted it to feel slightly warm, but not too red or brown (there's already the wood in the nightstands and our wood-look laminate floors that will eventually be replaced with real wood floors), and also not too jarring against the light neutrals in the space. A little pattern, texture and character - but an overall light, soft feeling. The rug hasn't arrived yet, so the not-so-great photo in that image above is from the Etsy listing (fingers crossed it looks the same or better in person!), but stay tuned for an update when it arrives. If you follow along with me on Instagram you might also get a sneak peak! ;)